FORMER Wales international Adrian Hadley has admitted taking drugs before a Six Nations victory over Scotland in 1986.

The 38-year-old ex-winger, who had a 17-year playing career in both union and league, has also claimed - in his soon to be published autobiography - that a team-mate admitted taking the same amphetamine before the Cardiff v Swansea Welsh Cup final in 1987.

Hadley, who finished his playing career at Sale where he was also director of rugby and is due take up a post as chief executive at Bridgend, has also claimed the amphetamine he took was given to him by a team-mate in the dressing room prior to the victory over Scotland at Cardiff's Arms Park which denied the visitors a Grand Slam.

Hadley, then 22, scored the only try of the match.

"The person who gave me the tablet said he used them regularly but, although I was offered them again, I declined," said Hadley, in an extract from his autobiography My Life In International Rugby published in the Daily Mail."

Hadley claimed he had taken the tablet after feeling under the weather following a training session prior to the match and decided to swallow half a pill offered to him by the unnamed team-mate.

"I can't remember which one of us broke the tablet but I went off and swallowed it down with water. A couple of the other boys had the tablets, one helping himself to more than the recommended dose.

"I can't remember whether he took a whole tablet or even one and a half but it seemed to affect him later."

Hadley also claimed that he did not discover what he had taken until later.

"Unbeknown to all three of us we had taken a tablet called Dexedrine. I hadn't a clue what it was for but I made inquiries recently and discovered that it was amphetamine.

"It seems I had been introduced to what is commonly known as 'speed' and was apparently used by youngsters keen to rave the night away."

Hadley also confessed to smoking cannabis when at rugby league club Salford and claimed players in both codes used the drug.

"I've known loads of professional rugby players who smoked dope socially," he said.

When Hadley was director of rugby at Sale he allowed Dylan O'Grady back to train with the club after the back row man had served a drugs-related prison sentence.

"I figured everyone was entitled to make one mistake and, anyway, who was I to judge him."